Mount Clemens woman wants drivers to slow down for geese

Abby Russell with her daughters Bella, 9, and Caroline, 5, watch as a duck walks by at the corner of Gratiot and Wellington Crescent. That's the same intersection Russell saw a Canada goose get hit by a car last week. The Macomb Daily/DAVID DALTON

The recent traffic-related death of a Canada goose on Gratiot Avenue has one local woman asking officials to do a better job in raising awareness for motorists about a bird family residing in the urban area.

Abby Russell of Mount Clemens said more should be done to make passing drivers aware of a family of geese -- and a few ducks -- which she calls the "mascots of Mount Clemens" that live along the Clinton River near the Riverfront Inn on Gratiot Avenue at Wellington Crescent on the border of Clinton Township and Mount Clemens.

"I think they are a staple of the community," Russell said.

Her concern grew after witnessing a goose die last week after it apparently was struck by a vehicle on Gratiot. She believes it was hit by a Macomb County Department of Roads truck going through the intersection, although a county spokesman denied the charge.

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Roads department director Robert Hoepfner said the driver maintains the bird was already dead and he only assisted in moving the carcass from the street before contacting the county's animal shelter to dispose of it.

"Our driver did not strike the goose," Hoepfner said. "He was a responsible citizen. We take this allegation seriously because our drivers do not harm animals. We like geese."

Russell recalled seeing the goose "freaking out" after it was hit, frantically flapping its wings as if in distress before collapsing on the ground. She said the driver got out of the truck, looked at the bird and then got back in the vehicle and drove off.

Russell tried to file a police report with the Clinton Township Police Department but was told the accident was not a criminal matter.

Detective Capt. Richard Maierle said the incident did not appear to rise to the level of animal abuse.

"We felt it would be best handled in an administrative manner by road department supervisors," Maierle said.

Canada geese are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act of 1918, which makes it illegal to harm or injure a goose, or damage or move its eggs and nest without a federal permit, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

With an estimated 300,000 geese in Michigan, DNR officials say the number of human-goose conflicts flare up from time to time.

"Those kinds of accidents happen a lot," said Russ Mason, wildlife chief for the DNR.

One way to prevent further incidents would be if the geese were moved.

Mason said there are ways to relocate the geese for a fee if a local unit of government or property owner petitions the wildlife service. Sometimes the move doesn't take and the geese return. Then, the next step would be to destroy the nest and eggs.

Russell, a mother of two young daughters and who has lived in the area for more than 10 years, said she can forgive whoever may have killed the goose. Still, the incident triggered her concern for the family of geese. She would like to see the Michigan Department of Transportation post signs on Gratiot Avenue advising motorists to slow down and watch out for the geese, which routinely waddle across Gratiot or Wellington Crescent in a bunch blocking motorists.

"I'm a very forgiving person," Russell said. "I only care about the well-being of the geese. Since this has happened, I've been thinking it over and maybe we can come up with some solutions to prevent this from happening again. We need to raise awareness and tell people to be careful when they're driving in the area."